It's been a long time since I've been in the gaming world. The last time I was into gaming was when CS 1.6 came out. I remember the hours spent.. ahhh...

Anyways, I just built a HTPC in the hopes to do some gaming as well. I'm really into FPS games. I've played call of duty on ps3 and really enjoyed it. Is the PC version as good? Any suggestions on games?

Also right now all I have is the dinovo mini for my keyboard/mouse. It does a wonderful job for controlling the htpc, but I'd need a full keyboard and separate mouse to do any gaming for sure. I've never gamed with anything wireless before, always been wired. Let's say where I'd be sitting is at the max 10 feet directly from the tv. Is there any advantage to go bluetooth? Or is it fine to go with the cheaper wireless alternatives?

You shouldn't have any real issues playing games with Win 7, but your onboard 9400 won't do them justice. Consider swapping in something more robust, say an HD4850? Onboard video will limit your options when gaming, even when running 720p.

You shouldn't have any real issues playing games with Win 7, but your onboard 9400 won't do them justice. Consider swapping in something more robust, say an HD4850? Onboard video will limit your options when gaming, even when running 720p.

Good to know that windows 7 shouldn't give me a problem.

I had a feeling that the onboard video wouldn't be enough. The only restrictions that I'd have is that it needs to be a low profile card, and either pci or pci express 2.0 x16.

Thanks for the suggestions on games. I'll check them out. I played half life a long while ago, never finished it. I tend to lose interest in "story mode" games. Really enjoy the multi player part.

Right now I'm looking into getting a wired keyboard. Everything I've read about wireless points me back to wired for gaming.

So I've got the Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard and Logitech MX518 mouse in mind. Will get a usb extension for the keyboard, and the keyboard has usb spots available for the mouse. That should do the trick.

For the expansion video card, I'm looking at the SAPPHIRE 100253HDMI Radeon HD 4650. Seems to be the better of the low profile choices.

You may have weird issues with your keyboard/mouse if you use a USB extension cable. The cable has a max length to power ratio before it becomes too weak and won't properly power devices, and you want to power a keyboard and mouse off of it. If you notice issues, then try a USB self-powered HUB.

You may have weird issues with your keyboard/mouse if you use a USB extension cable. The cable has a max length to power ratio before it becomes too weak and won't properly power devices, and you want to power a keyboard and mouse off of it. If you notice issues, then try a USB self-powered HUB.

I had no clue that usb cables could have that affect over distances. Thanks for the heads up.

I had no clue that usb cables could have that affect over distances. Thanks for the heads up.

It's that way for any wire that is meant to carry an electrical current. Over distance, it becomes weaker and weaker and you have to use a larger guage, which equals less resistance, or feed more power into it (but not too much or you'll melt the wire )

I had a feeling that the onboard video wouldn't be enough. The only restrictions that I'd have is that it needs to be a low profile card, and either pci or pci express 2.0 x16.

You need a case that allows a full height card and it needs to accomodate at least an 8 inch and preferably a 9 inch card. Your choice of cases has severely limited your options. What case are you using, how deep is it, how many slots, etc.?? How long did you extend your USB cables for your mouse and keyboard? Generally you don't want to go longer than about 15-16 feet without special extenders. You can go much longer if powered properly http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-usb2-ext-65ft.html, usually a 16 foot data extender with some sort of repeater to keep data integrity will do the job, just make sure it is USB 2.0.